Dear Diary
by Nelli
Summary: Portman falls in love with Chad McGill's sister. The only problem is Adam loved her once and wants her again. She doesn't really want anything to do with either of them. Chaos ensues...
1. Introducing Jordan

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks characters used in this story. I do, however, own Jordan, not that that is worth anything. So if you try to sue me, you won't get much. Maybe 3 cents and a button. Or, maybe, a whole piece of gum!!!  
  
Author's Note: O-kay, that disclaimer was fun. Anywho, this is my first time writing a fan fiction, so Puh-leeze, be nice! The chapters are going to be pretty short, considering that they are in the form of journal entries. Just bare with me. I don't think this type of story has been written previously, but if it has, sorry.  
  
Chapter One: Introducing Jordan!  
  
Dear Diary,  
Okay, I'm so not one to hold a grudge, but my brother is my best friend. I guess that's why, when he told me not to go to Eden Hall, I wasn't going to. My parents, on the other hand, think he's stupid for still being mad. So, they sent me here, despite my protests.  
I know, I'm too old for a diary, but I need to store my thoughts, for future reference and generations (Right!). My name is Jordan McGill, and I'm fifteen years old. I'm a freshmen this school year and am also one of the most talented football players in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Oh, yeah, I'm also a girl. Surprised?  
Anyway, my brother, Chad, used to play hockey. After he lost the peewee finals to District 5, he quit hockey and took up football. Unfortunately, he injured his legs and won't be able to play anything ever again.  
I, on the other hand, worked my butt off and am now "enjoying" an athletic scholarship to the Eden Hall Academy. And it sucks. Mainly because of the Ducks: because they're here, breathing in the same air, in the exact same amount of space as I am. I hate it; I hate them. It's their fault my brother's hurt, that he'll never play another sport ever again.  
Well, anyway, school starts tomorrow and I am already praying for spring to be here. * Let me know what you think. If y'all like it, I'll continue. If not, oh well, at least I tried, right? Thanks ~NELLIE~ * 


	2. Adam's Information

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks characters used in this story. I do, however, own Jordan, not that that is worth anything. So if you try to sue me, you won't get much. Maybe 3 cents and a button. Or, maybe, a whole piece of gum!!! Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, y'all! I'm a complete blonde. I accidentally re-posted the first chapter, instead of posting the second one. And, being the numbskull that I am, I forgot that I could replace the chapter's text, so I deleted the whole story and posted it all over again. "D'Oh!" as Homer Simpson would say. But don't worry, all the reviews I received are saved on my e-mail account. We're gonna try this again, and hopefully it works. Fingers crossed! ~Nellie~ P.S.- This is kind of a review type chapter. Please just bare with me.  
  
Chapter 2: Adam's Information.  
  
I guess you're probably wondering why I'm writing a journal entry. It's an assignment for my psychology class this year. We have to study our emotional and mental swings.  
Since I've never done this before, I have no idea what to write. Maybe who I am? My name is Adam Banks and I am sixteen years old. I'm going into my sophomore year at the Eden Hall Academy. I also play hockey. I have since.forever, I guess.  
It's the night right before school starts and I'm in the athletes' dorms, in the room I share with my teammate and friend, Charlie Conway. He's laughing at me right now because I have to write in a journal and he doesn't. Ha, ha, ha, what a riot, Spazway.  
Charlie and I, and our teammates, have been through a lot together. From winning the peewee state finals six years ago, to getting new teammates and winning the Junior Goodwill Games hockey tournament four years ago, to overcoming discrimination by beating the Varsity team in the JV-Varsity Showdown during our first year here at Eden Hall, we've done a lot of growing up together.  
I guess I could tell you about my friends. I'll start with Charlie. He's, by far, my best friend. He was the first person to befriend me when I joined the Ducks. We've always gotten along really well, except for a couple of weeks last year when I was on Varsity. Let's not go there.  
Then, there's Connie Moreau and Guy Germaine. I have to put them together because they're dating. Connie is one of two girls on our team. She's really good at hockey and is a really great person to go to when you need to talk. Guy has loved Connie for six years. He's a hopeless romantic and is always trying to plan "perfect" dates for his friends and himself. He's a little weird, but an all around good guy.  
Julie Gaffney is the other girl on the team. We call her "Julie the Cat" because of her quick reflexes. For this reason, she is our star goalie. I used to have a crush on Julie, but now that she's seeing Scooter, I find it pointless to continue with it.  
Fulton Reed and Dean Portman are best friends. We call them "the Bash Brothers" because they're enforcers and love to knock people over. They give off rebellious and macho vibes, but they're not that tough in reality.  
  
Lester Averman and Greg Goldberg are another group of best friends on the team. Averman always tells the corniest jokes. Goldie is a great accent to him because he's a prankster. Together, they make the perfect comedy act. If you're upset, you can always count on these two for a laugh.  
Luis Mendoza is one of our newer members. He's from Miami and is a great skater. Julie and Connie call him "the Latin lover of the Ducks" because of his many escapades of the heart. One-week last school year, he was dating four different girls at the same time. He really likes Connie, though, and if he ever got her, he'd never let her go.  
Russ Tyler is from Los Angeles. He took my roster spot when I hurt myself during the Junior Goodwill Games. His shot is the knucklepuck, where he flips the puck on end and hits it as hard as he can. Russ is also the resident smart alleck. He's always quick with a retort. All I can say is, when he opens his mouth, I'm glad we're on the same team.  
Ken Wu used to be an Olympic figure skater. He's really fancy. He's also an incredible student. He's been learning to trash talk from Russ since early last season, and he still isn't doing so great.  
The last member of the team is Dwayne Robertson from Austin, Texas. He's a total cowboy. We have a skating exercise where he has to rope us to get us out. It's pretty funny to see us all going nuts. He also has a crush on Connie, but unlike Luis, he actually stands a chance if Connie and Guy break up.  
That's everybody. And since I'm not in the mood to write anymore. I'm turning in. Until later. 


	3. Portman's Assignment

A/N: HEY, Y'ALL!!!! It's been too long! Well, Chapter 3 is pretty short, so I'm gonna upload Chap. 4 and possibly Chap. 5, too. So you know. Oh, I don't own the Mighty Ducks or any of the characters, though I wish I could have Adam Banks tied up in my basement. Oops! Wasn't supposed to tell you that! SHH!! So if you sue me, might get a nickel and a couple of cheesy sketches. But whatever! On with the story.

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Portman's Assignment

"Dear Diary?" What the…? "Write your personal information, thoughts, and feelings for a grade in your future Psychology class?" Give me a break!!

Fine, if you want personal, I'll give you personal.

I'm Dean Portman. I'm 16 and am also a sophomore. I used to live in Chicago, but am now in Minneapolis with my teammates at Eden Hall. Freakin' preppy school!

I share a dorm room with my best friend and fellow bash brother, Fulton. Here's a sentence about each of the other members of my team:

Averman is a dork. Ken is the Little Bash Brother. Charlie's the Captain. Goldberg is our new defensive man. Julie is a babe. Connie is Guy's girl (two in one, score!). Adam is a preppy. Dwayne's a cowboy. Russ has a big mouth. Luis thinks he's a pimp.

There you go. I'm not feeling anything "emotionally significant" at the moment, except annoyance at this stupid assignment. It's worse than Averman. I knew I should have taken woodshop! But no, I had to take Psych!

This is making me Psych-o! I'm going to bed. Screw this!

A/N: See, it's totally short. But, of course, it is Portman talking. J/K. Buh-bye!!


	4. Jordan's First Day

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Jordan's First Day

D.D.,

Today went terribly! Let's start at 8 AM:

*I got up late. The batteries in my clock went dead, so the alarm never went off.

I remember saying "Crap!" and jumping out of bed.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a Warriors T-shirt. Then I grabbed my jacket and bag, and raced out the door.

"Excuse me. Pardon me!" I pushed through the crowded hallway toward my locker. As soon as I reached it, I found a group of guys congregated around a locker nearby, blocking my way.

"Excuse me!" I yelled, tapping my foot to the floor. The guys ignored me and kept on talking about hockey.

Hearing this, I assumed they played, so I blurted out, "Excuse me, you jackasses, but if you don't shut you're preppy mouths and move, I'll break your hockey sticks with my cleats. And I'm not talking about the sticks you use on the ice."

That got their attention. They stopped talking and two 'bad asses' with bandannas on their heads started to turn around. When they saw me, they busted out laughing.

"Hey, Fulton! It's only a chick!" one of the morons said.

"Chick?" I repeated, somewhat annoyed.

They ignored me and the one called Fulton said, "I see her, Portman. And to think we were gonna tell her off."

"Tell me off?" I could feel my temperature rising.

Again I got ignored. Portman laughed and said, "I know! We almost hurt her feelings!"

"Hurt my feelings, uh?" That was the last straw. I dropped my stuff and glared at them, as well as their posse. "That's it!"

I lunged at the dumb-looking one named Portman. I threw him against a locker. He looked at me in surprise and tried to unpin himself. I brought my fist back and punched him square in the jaw. 

About that time, the other one, Fulton, grabbed my shirt and turned me around. He took a swing at me, from which I ducked. I brought my foot up and connected it with his face. He fell to the floor.

Portman, having recovered, grabbed me before I could attack Fulton anymore. He punched me in the stomach and tripped me to the floor. I felt the wind get knocked out of my body.

Portman started to laugh and turned to help Fulton up. I jumped to my feet and kicked him in the small of his back. He flew forward and hit his head on the lockers across the hall. Fulton looked from his knocked out friend, to me, and back at Portman.

"Bring it on, if you're man enough," I said menacingly.

"Easy, tiger." Fulton put his hands up in surrender. "You win."

I grabbed my stuff and opened my locker. The group of guys dispersed, all except one who kept staring at me.

"Got a problem?" I growled, sticking some gum in my mouth.

"Are you… No, you can't be… Maybe?"

"What?!" I screamed.

"Jordan?" He took a step closer to me.

I stared at him for a minute.

"Adam?" I blinked my eyes and looked at him again. I opened my mouth in disbelief. "It is you!"

"Jordan!" He took another step closer to me, arms open.

"Whoa, no hugs." I stepped away. "I'm allergic to ducks." I slid my bookbag over my shoulder.

"Ha ha. You never used to be such a smart alleck." He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I never could, or would, for that matter, beat up a guy." I indicated to the place Portman had just left and turned to go.

"No kidding. So why are you at Eden Hall?" He fell into step with me.

I stopped and looked at him.

"I got a scholarship to play ball." I started walking again.

"Really? You play basketball?" He yelled down the hall.

I whirled around. It really ticks me off when people assume that I play basketball, just because I'm a girl. "No, Adam. I play football." Then I stomped to my first hour.*

Lunch was just as bad:

*I sat down at a table, all by myself. Not that I cared. I was just starting to see pictures in my mashed potatoes when I heard some trays drop saw Adam and his friends sitting down.

"What do you guys want?" I asked rudely

"You looked lonely, so we sat down," one boy with dark hair said, smiling at me.

"Yeah huh, and you are?" I lifted my eyebrows.

"Charlie Conway." He stood up and held out his hand to shake mine. When I ignored his gesture, he smiled uncomfortably, and sat back down.

I looked past Charlie and saw the two guys I beat up earlier.

"Ehey," I yelled at them. "You two okay?"

"Sure are." Portman locked eyes with me and winked, probably in a sexy way. Yeah, well, that's his opinion.

"Can I have your autograph?" This geeky red-haired kid held out a piece of paper and pen to me.

"Uh, sure, I guess." I took the items and looked at him. "Whaddaya want it to say?"

"'To Les Averman, Good luck this season. From the girl who beat up the Bash Brothers.'" He narrated to me.

I wrote it and quickly signed my name. He took the paper back from me and smiled in satisfaction disappeared. He looked at me.

"Jordan McGill? As in Chad McGill's sister?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Chad McGill? From the Hawks?" He asked again.

"Yeah, so?" I glared at him. "Anything wrong with that?"

"No, not at all." Averman shut up and looked into his plate.

I sighed and started playing with my potatoes again. I looked up when I felt someone watching me. Adam was looking me up and down.

"What'SA matter, Banks? Staring problem?"

"No. You've just changed. Your hair used to be longer and blonde."

"Yeah, well, I like it short and red." I shook my head in aggravation and looked away.

"Okay. You used to be nice and cute, too."

My eyes snapped up. It wasn't the cute comment that bothered me, it was the nice one. I shot him the dirtiest look I could produce.

"Well, well," I said venomously. "It's hard to be nice to someone who is such a dumb f-"

"Whoa! Hold up!" Charlie covered my mouth. "Just calm down."

I moved my head away and stood up.

"Besides, you don't know what I've been through, A-dumb! I'm a lot nicer than I could be." I stomped off

I thought my troubles were over, until I saw Adam and Charlie turn into the same classroom I was headed to for 5th period. So, instead, I headed to the bathroom and waiting for the bell.*

Unfortunately, practice was much of the same:

*The rink was closed, so the hockey coach made the team run laps on the track around the football field. When Varsity was practicing.

I had just got done kicking a 35-yard field goal attempt when I noticed two girls watching us from the track. Then, I saw Adam, Charlie, and Portman.

"Great," I muttered.

"All right, team, huddle up."

I went with the rest of the team into the huddle.

"Good practice. Keep it up and we'll win State this year. Hit the showers."

The two girls were staring at me and pointing. They probably thought I was a guy. Disgusting at this thought, I pulled off my helmet. They wore shocked expressions and went back to running.

Portman, on the other hand, started grinning like a fool. He tried to show off. Instead, he looked like an idiot. 

I just yanked my practice gear off and continued to the locker room. Unfortunately, Portman wasn't discouraged. He ran after me.

"Hey, McGill!" He caught up to me and was panting.

"Yeah?" I didn't look at him.

"Nice field goal." He grinned in admiration. 

"Thanks. Gotta fly." And I took off.*

Now it's like 7 PM and I'm thinking of going out for food. 

30 minutes later = There was a flower delivery guy here a few minutes ago. 'Someone' sent me a dozen carnations. Here's what the card said:

Jordan,

Roses are red.

My bruises are blue.

You're so hot,

I'd love to check you.

Who could have sent them? Uh, gee, I don't know. I wonder. DUH!!

All I can say is Portman is going to get a ton of new bruises tomorrow. Stupid hockey-playing jackass!


	5. Adam's Old Flame

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Adam's Old Flame

Well, today was fun. I found out my ex-girlfriend started going to Eden Hall. And boy, had she changed. 

God, Jordan! Why are you here?

"To play ball." That's what she had told me this morning, after she'd beaten up Portman and Fulton. Football to be exact.

And after she'd said that, I kept thinking, _Jordan? My Jordan? Playing football? No way!_

But it was true. Dean Buckley told me when I talked to him in the hallway.

"Can you believe it, Dean?" I'd asked. "Jordan McGill, a girl, playing football?"

"It's true, Adam. And she's very talented." Then he'd walked away, leaving me stunned.

Granted, I haven't seen nor heard from Jordan in 6 years. No one on the Ducks had known (or now knew) about my ex-girlfriend. I still remember her exact words when she broke up with me. It was right after we'd won the State finals.

"Adam," she'd started, "I can't see you anymore. My brother hates you and you know he's my best friend. It'd kill him if we stayed together. I just can't do that to him. Goodbye." She had kissed me goodbye and ran off before I could argue.

I know I was only in 4th grade, but it still killed me. I think mainly because I focused so hard on hockey, I'd never gotten to know Jordan. That's why I became more obsessed with the game after our breakup.

She looks good. She cut all her hair off, so it was to her jawline and she'd dyed it red. It suited her, mainly because of her temper.

She's really good at football, too. She made a field goal at her practice today. I was really impressed.

Apparently, so was Portman. He kept winking at her all day, and trying to talk to her. I think it's really weird because she beat him up. I mean, you'd think a guy would leave a girl that could kill him alone. But not Portman.

I don't know if that means he's competition or just someone who wants my ex. And that's only because I don't know how I feel about Jordan right now.


	6. Portman Gets Serious Somewhat

Disclaimer: DO I HAVE TO REPEAT IT?! (Sorry, you know the drill, though)

A/N: Wow, I'm getting a lot of great reviews for this story. Thanks so much, I totally appreciate it! The next few chapters are going up now, so enjoy!!

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Chapter 6: Portman Gets Serious (Somewhat)

All right, enough bull! I'm having a 'significant emotional moment' right now. And it has to do with Jordan.

Jordan…I love her name. That's about all I know, though. Except that she plays football and can beat the crap out of me. Banks seems to know her.

Fulton says that's because he used to know her brother. They were best buds before 

Adam joined the Ducks. All I know is, if I was pals with her bro, I wouldn't stop being his pal. That way I'd get to see her.

Normally, I'd want to cream a person who'd given me a fat lip, a huge bruise on my back and hit my best friend. Or at least hate them. But I can't do that with Jordan. She _intrigues_ me (Julie taught me that word)!

She looks really cute in her football gear. And in her chick clothes. And in a wife-beater and football pants. I bet she looks hot in anything (or in nothing, wink, wink).

Jordan brings out a different side of me. I kept trying to talk to her, and I never called her sweetie or babe. I winked at her everytime she passed me in the hallway. I even sent her flowers. I wrote a poem for inside the card. It said:

Roses are red.

My bruises are blue.

You're so hot,

I'd love to check you.

Isn't that great? And I thought of it on my own. Who said a Bash Brother couldn't be romantic?  


Dude, Fulton's coming in right now. I've gotta get this put away so he won't see it. More of this shit later, after food.


	7. Averman's First Entry

A/N: No disclaimer, no funny lines, just straight to the short chapter.

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Chapter 7: Averman's 1st Entry

Well, this is weird. I'm not in Psych, but Adam and Portman have to do this, so I thought I would, too. Maybe they can help me figure out what's wrong with my life. Other than the fact that it's my life.

Anyway, there's this really cute little freshman I met today. Her name is Jordan McGill. She plays football. And, man, she's probably really good, because not many people would take on Portman and Fulton at the same time and survive. 

But she did. And I got her autograph.

She also happens to be the sister of Chad McGill, from the Hawks. Talk about coincidence.

School started today. It wasn't too bad. Riley and his Varsity pals are still here. They make my life a living hell.

Goldie, my best pal and roommate, is back on defense again this year. Julie's still goalie and, unfortunately, is seeing Scooter (Varsity's goalie). Guy and Connie are still together; Charlie and Linda are still together; and Luis is still with that cheerleader, though I don't know how they managed that. 

Well, that's about it. Ken, Goldie, Russ, Dwayne, and I are heading out for pizza and a movie. Then, maybe, we'll TP Varsity's dorms. But you didn't hear that from me.


	8. Jordan's Night Out Kinda

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Chapter 8: Jordan's Night Out (Kinda)

D.D.,

It's about midnight. I went out for pizza, as planned. But I wasn't the only one with that idea. About ten of the Ducks went out for 'za, too, including Portman (gross) and my ex, Adam.

That's right, Adam used to be my boyfriend. Granted, I was only nine, but you know how it is. I mean, my brother was his best friend.

Come to think of it, Chad was the reason I broke up with Adam. If I'm remembering this correctly (and I like to think that I am), Chad told me Adam left the Hawks to get away from his friends, when they got into a fight. I just remembered that! Maybe I should ask Adam about that.

Anyway, pizza night started out great. It was about eight o'clock and I was pretty much the only one there. I had my favorite book, was sipping on a Mountain Dew, and had just ordered an extra-large pepperoni pizza with extra pepperoni and cheese. (Football makes me very hungry)

Well, I'd just gotten comfortable in my booth (my back was on the wall and my legs were stretched over the seat) when in walks most of the J.V. hockey team.

I ducked behind my book so I wouldn't be seen, but… yawn but… stretching it didn't work.

I'm too tired to write anymore. I'll try and write the rest (if I remember it) tomorrow. Nighty-night.

A/N: Yay!! The next chapter is coming. I just need to finish it (it's about half way done). Hope y'all liked the last three. ~Nelli~


	9. Averman And The Ducks' Night On The Town

A/N: This is the last bit of this story I have written out, so you know. The rest will be winging it. That just seems to be easier than writing then typing. R/R. 

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Chapter 9:

Averman and the Ducks' Night on the Town.

It's right about midnight. I can't sleep, so I decided to write another journal entry. Here's what happened to night.

Ken, Goldie, Russ, Dwayne, and I all walked to a Pizza Hut a few blocks from campus. We were about to go in, when a car horn resounded through the parking lot. We turned to look at the vehicle. It was Charlie's Taurus and inside were Portman, Fulton, Adam, and Charlie (obviously).

We waited for them by the door and went in together.

"What are y'all doin' here?" Dwayne asked.

"Getting food, obviously." Charlie grinned at the cowboy.

We waited inside, scoping the place out. It was about eight o'clock. There was nobody inside, except the staff and a girl sprawled in a booth near the back of the room. She was reading.

A waitress came up and showed us to a table near the reading girl's booth. She looked familiar. Of course, I couldn't see her face; her book was in the way.

Adam recognized her, though.

"Jordan?" He looked at the girl.

The girl's muscles tensed, but she ignore Adam.

"Jordan," he said in a knowing voice. "What are you hiding for?"

Jordan ignored him yet again. She just calmly turned the page in her book and continued reading.

By that time, every one of us was staring at her. Adam shook his head in exasperation and stood up. He walked over to the booth.

"Jordan. Answer me," he said, insistently. He pulled the book away, and sure enough, there sat a flustered Jordan McGill.

"Hey, Adam. What's goin' on?" She shrugged as if she'd just realized he was there.

"Nothin.'" Adam sat down across from her and smiled.

"Cool."

Then the two of them just sat there, looking at each other. The rest of us looked from Jordan to Adam, wondering what was going on. Portman kept looking more upset with every second of silence.

Portman stood up next to the seat Jordan's feet were occupying. He cleared his throat. Jordan snapped back to reality and looked up at him.

"Hey, Portman." She looked past him to the rest of us. "Guys."

The waitress brought out a huge pepperoni pizza to Jordan's table. "Here you go, hun."

"Thanks."

Jordan took two pieces. She bit into one and got sauce all over her face. Portman, who was now seated beside her, looked mystified. Adam looked amused, as if he'd seen this before, though he probably had, being friends with Chad and all. The rest of us just looked confused. You could tell there was something freaky going on.

"So," Charlie said, breaking the silence, "you needed out of your dorm, too, uh?" He sat down next to Banks.

"MMM, 'ell, 'eah, o giss su." Jordan was talking with her mouth so full; none of us could understand her.

"Sorry, but what did you say?" Russ asked, pulling up a table next to the booth, so all of us could chill together.

"She said, 'mmm, well, yeah, I guess so.' Duh!" Adam turned his attention back to the football player. "Right, Jordi?" 

She gave him the evil eye, but nodded her head, anyway.

"Sorry, my bad. I forgot you didn't like that nickname." He held up his hands in forgiveness.

Jordan swallowed. "You are forgiven, but just barely." She shook her head in aggravation. "I hate that name. It reminds me of that stupid talking pig."

Portman looked from Banks's smiling face to Jordan's blushing cheeks. "You two were pretty close, uh?"

"Well," Banks started, grinning devilishly at Jordan.

"He was my brother's best friend for a while." She glared at him yet again.

"I wasn't just his best friend, Jordi. You know that." He was staring straight at her.

I was getting a little nervous. Jordan looked like she was about to kill him. So I opened my big mouth. "What, Banksy? Were you his boyfriend too?"

Adam shot a look in my direction. Then he laughed. "Close, Averman. Very close."

"You know what?" Jordan stood up and pushed Portman out of the booth. "I've got to get going, okay? Great talking to all of you. Bye!" 

She grabbed her book from Ken and Goldie (they were reading the back) signaled for the waitress to meet her at the register and took a hold of the pizza pan. The hot pizza pan.

"Shit!!" She screamed as she dropped it back onto the table. "Oh, damn it!!"

Adam practically jumped over Charlie to get to her. He took her burnt hands in his and looked at the injury. "Damn, girl. This is bad." Then he dug an ice cube out of her pop and placed it on the burn. "You dummy. You know better than to grab a hot pan." He was caressing her hand.

"Thank you, Adam. I'm fine now." She looked up at him and he stared straight back.

I glanced in Portman's direction. He was glaring at Adam now. He knew there was something going on. Something that would take Jordan away from him.

"You heard her, Banksy. She's fine. Let her leave." Portman stood up.

"Butt out, Portman. She got burned, dude." Fulton sat his best friend back down. Then I heard him whisper, "Let it go. They're old friends."

Apparently, they are really good old friends. Because in the next second, Adam was kissing her. I looked at Portman, who looked like he was going to kill Adam. So, I butted in again.

"Geez, you two. Get a room." I laughed nervously.

Jordan pulled away from Adam. "You prick! Don't you ever do that again!" She slapped him across the face with her book, grabbed the pad _under_ the pizza pan, picked it up, and stomped off.

"Oww. God damn it!" Adam put his cold hand on his face and fell onto the table in pain.

Portman, now grinning from ear to ear, looked after Jordan. "What a great gal!"

Adam glared at him. "What do you mean, 'what a great gal!'?"

"Well, don't be mad. She obviously doesn't want you." Portman leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. 

"Don't get your hopes up, Portman. I don't want you either." Jordan yelled this from the front of the room and exited the restaurant. 

"I'm going after her. She's my friend." Adam stood up and left the Pizza Hut, too. 

After we'd ordered and finished half our meal, Portman, very sulkily, left the building. Charlie and Fulton exchanged amused looks, while Goldie and Dwayne fought over the rest of the Hawaiian pizza. 

"Well, it looks like Eden Hall is turning into a soap opera." They laughed at me hysterically as we all chipped in to pay our part of the check. Then, we trashed Varsity's dorms with shaving cream and toilet paper. Gotta get some zzz's. 

A/N: There's chapter 9. Enjoy, and R/R. ~Nelli~


	10. Adam's Old Feelings

A/N: Well, I haven't updated this one in a while. I just reread it all and decided to type another chappie. So here you go, Chapter number ten!!

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Chapter 10:

Adam's Old Feelings.

Well, it's about twelve o'clock and I'm lying wide-awake in my dorm room. Charlie has been asleep for awhile now. I just can't get what happened out of my head.

Charlie and I picked up Portman and Fulton earlier tonight. We all crammed into Charlie's small Taurus and drove to the Pizza Hut off-campus. When we got there, we saw Russ, Ken, Goldberg, Dwayne and Averman going inside. They waited for us and we all went in together.

As we were being led to a table, I noticed a girl sprawled in the back booth, reading a book. It was a book of Grimm's Fairy Tales. I looked at the girl's hair color, and noticed it was red. Then I looked at her left arm; there was a scar on it.

__

That looks just like the scar Jordan got when we went sledding when we first started dating, I thought. _Grimm's fairy tales were always her favorite._

A smile slowly broke on my face.

"Jordan?" I looked at her. I saw the girl's muscles tense, but she ignored me. I started again. "Jordan, what are you hiding for?"

She ignored me yet again. She just turned the page in her book and continued reading.

"Jordan. Answer me," I said, insistently, as I shook my head in exasperation and walked over to her booth. I pulled the book away, and sure enough, there sat a flustered Jordan McGill.

"Hey, Adam. What's goin' on?" She shrugged as if she'd just realized I was there, though I knew full well that she was just ignoring me.

"Nothin.'" I sat down across from her and smiled.

"Cool." She didn't return my grin, but instead nodded in a casual manner.

Then we sat there, looking at each other. I could feel the guys looking at us questioningly. I knew Portman had to be looking more upset with every second of silence. Then, he stood up next to the seat Jordan's feet were occupying. He cleared his throat. That brought Jordan back to reality and she looked up at him.

"Hey, Portman." She looked past him to the rest of us. "Guys."

The waitress brought out a huge pepperoni pizza to Jordan's table. "Here you go, hun."

"Thanks."

Jordan took two pieces. She bit into one and got sauce all over her face. Portman, who was now seated beside her, looked mystified. I couldn't help but look amused, seeing as how I'd seen her down an entire extra-large pizza before, when we were younger. The rest of the guys just looked confused.

"So," Charlie said, breaking the silence, "you needed out of your dorm, too, uh?" He sat down next to me.

"MMM, 'ell, 'eah, o giss su." Jordan was talking with her mouth so full; none of the guys could understand her. I grinned again.

"Sorry, but what did you say?" Russ asked, pulling up a table next to the booth, so all of us could sit together.

"She said, 'mmm, well, yeah, I guess so.' Duh!" I turned my attention back to her. "Right, Jordi?"

She gave me the evil eye, but nodded her head, anyway.

"Sorry, my bad. I forgot you didn't like that nickname." I held up my hands in a 'Please forgive me' way.

Jordan swallowed. "You are forgiven, but just barely." She shook her head in aggravation. "I hate that name. It reminds me of that stupid talking pig."

Portman looked from my smiling face to Jordan's blushing cheeks. "You two were pretty close, uh?"

"Well," I started, grinning menacingly at Jordan, threatening to spill the beans.

"He was my brother's best friend for a while." She glared at me yet again.

"I wasn't just his best friend, Jordi. You know that." I was staring straight at her.

Jordan looked like she was about to kill me, but thankfully Averman opened his big mouth. "What, Banksy? Were you his boyfriend too?"

I shot a look at him. Then I laughed. He'd said exactly what I hoped he would "Close, Averman. Very close."

"You know what?" Jordan stood up and pushed Portman out of the booth. "I've got to get going, okay? Great talking to all of you. Bye!"

She grabbed her book from Ken and Goldberg, who had been reading the back, signaled for the waitress to meet her at the register and took a hold of the pizza pan. Apparently it was still warm.

"Shit!" She screamed as she dropped it back onto the table. "Oh, damn it!!"

I jumped over Charlie to get to her. I took her burnt hands in mine and looked at them. "Damn, girl. This is bad." Then I dug an ice cube out of her pop and placed it on the burn. "You dummy. You know better than to grab a hot pan." I couldn't help it; I began to caress her hand.

"Thank you, Adam. I'm fine now." She looked up at me. I stared straight back.

I could feel everyone staring; I didn't care. I knew there was something still between us. I could feel it.

"You heard her, Banksy. She's fine. Let her leave." Portman stood up.

"Butt out, Portman. She got burned, dude." Fulton sat his best friend back down. Then I heard him whisper, "Let it go. They're old friends."

In that instant, all the old feelings came pouring back. I couldn't help what I did next. I just grabbed Jordan in my arms and kissed her. I knew Portman was probably shooting daggers my way, but I didn't care.

"Geez, you two. Get a room." Averman laughed to try and ease the tension.

Jordan pulled away from me, fury written all over her face. I obviously had done something wrong, because she said, "You prick! Don't you ever do that again!" She slapped me across the face with her book, grabbed the pad _under_ the pizza pan, picked it up, and stomped off.

"Oww. God damn it!" I put my cold hand on the red spot on my face and fell onto the table in pain. She was really strong.

Portman, now grinning from ear to ear, looked after Jordan. "What a great gal!"

I glared at him. "What do you mean, 'what a great gal!'?"

"Well, don't be mad. She obviously doesn't want you." Portman leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head.

"Don't get your hopes up, Portman. I don't want you either." Jordan yelled this from the front of the room and exited the restaurant.

"I'm going after her. She _is_ my friend." I stood up and raced out of the Pizza Hut, too. I probably left some pretty confused Ducks in my wake, but whatever.

I followed Jordan through the parking lot and down the next block.

Her paced slowed to a stop. "Is there any particular reason you are following me, Mr. Banks?" She turned to face me, pizza box in one hand, book in the other.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I walked up to her, concern covering my features.

"Don't act all gushy and concerned now!" Her eyes narrowed to slits. "You never gave a damn about me six years ago." She turned on her heel and began to walk again.

"Jordan, that's not true and you know it!" I raced after her.

"Oh, really?" She whirled on me. "So you paid attention to me, right?"

"Yes, I did." I nodded my head.

"All right. Then what's my middle name?" She raised an eyebrow in my direction. "When's my birthday? What's my favorite color?" She stared at me.

I looked thoughtful for a moment. I closed my eyes in concentration to try and remember.

"Uh, huh. That's what I thought."

I opened my eyes and saw her walking away. "Elizabeth."

She stopped. I saw her intake sharply.

I began to walk toward her. "June twentieth." I stopped and turned her around. "Fire engine red."

Jordan's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "You remembered after all this time?"

I grinned. "How could I forget?" My grin kind of faded. "You would never let me."

She laughed and hit me, remembering all the times she'd reminded me of those things when we were younger. "Shut up!"

I laughed too and we began to head back to campus. We talked and reminiscenced all the way there. She really hadn't changed. Not much.

I walked her to her dorm. We turned to face each other just as we reached the door.

"So," I began, "how's Chad doing?"

Jordan's smile faded, her eyes became cold. "You would know if you were still talking to him, wouldn't you?" Then she stormed into the dorm.

"Jordan? Jordan!" I banged on the door. "What did I say?"

As I walked away, silently kicking myself, I thought I almost could hear Jordan crying behind the closed door.

That about does it. I still can't believe I kissed her. I seriously thought all those feelings were gone. Guess not. Good night.

A/N: Well that was pretty good. It was longer than most of the other chapters. Hope y'all liked it! Nellie (Have you ever noticed that I sign my name two ways: Nelli and Nellie? Weird!!)


	11. Portman's Plan

A/N: It's been over a year, and I finally have some inspiration to write in this story! OMG! Mark this day on your calendar! Lol…Newho, I hope you guys like this one…My writing has changed a little; I just hope that I can make the characters a little deeper. Here we go!

**Chapter 11: Portman's Plan**

Okay, I think I'm actually gonna take this assignment seriously right now. It's a little after midnight. Fulton's crashed on his bed, listening to Pantera. So I got up, turned on my desk lamp and opened up this notebook…

God damn it, I can't sleep! I don't know why. I mean, yeah I'm a little pissed that Jordan and Banksy left together, but what could I do? That thing she said to me really shook my confidence. I mean, I'm a Bash Brother; some girls would kill to date me. And the one who I could actually enjoy being with, doesn't want me. Story of my life…just look at Julie.

Come to think of it, Banksy was my only competition before Scooter came into the picture. So, does that mean that Preppy and I have the same type…? We're both in Psych too…Geez, the only difference is how our environments have shaped our moods and styles.

Man, I think I get smarter the later I'm up. If only I applied myself this much in Algebra…WAIT! That's so it! Jordan's in Algebra…I saw her leaving that classroom right before I went in. I could totally ask her to tutor me! That would get me closer to her….

Well, it's after six. My day was so awesome! I'm so jamming to Aerosmith right now in the dorm…a classic band for a classic day!

I found Jordan's locker easy enough; I had gotten my ass kicked right in front of it. I leaned on the locker next to hers as she got ready for class.

"Can I help you?" She didn't even look at me as she snapped the sentence out.

"Yea, you actually can," I stared at the lockers across the hall; one was indented. Gee, wonder how that happened…My head started hurting at the sight of it.

"Look," she said, slamming her locker door shut. "You seem like a nice enough guy. I'm just not interested in the hockey persuasion, okay?" She started to walk away.

"You got it all wrong, babe." I caught up and fell into step with her. "I accept that you want nothing to do with me. I just want a favor." I stopped and grabbed her arm.

She looked me up and down in question. "What kinda favor?" She looked worried.

I grinned. "Not the kind you're thinkin'." I pulled out my Algebra book. "I just need a tutor." I pointed at the book.

Jordan looked relieved. "You got it, Portman." She started toward class.

I watched her walk away in amazement. "You mean it?" I yelled after her.

She looked over her shoulder. "Yeah. Meet me after practice by the field. We'll walk to the library together."

At lunch, the Ducks sat with Jordan again. She welcomed us with a cross between a smile and a grimace.

"What's up, guys?" She glanced at each of us in turn.

"Not much." Charlie smiled. "How's the second day going?"

Jordan sighed. She looked adorable. "Not so good. I already have a seven page paper to write." She slumped over. "It's not fair."

Charlie laughed. "Life's not fair, girlie."

Adam shot Charlie a look and turned to Jordan. "How's your hand?" he asked softly. His gaze was filled with concern.

Jordan didn't look at him. "It's fine. I'm just a little stupid, is all."

Adam shook his head. "No, you're not. You're a little forgetful, that's it."

Jordan shrugged. "Whatever. Look, I gotta scram. Talk to you all later." She picked up her tray and started walking toward the trayevor. She stopped by me. "We still on for the practice field at 4:30?"

I grinned at her. "You bet. And thanks again."

She smiled back. "No problem, Portman." Then she put her tray up and left.

Adam looked at me in a mix of shock and anger. "What was that about?"

I scoffed. "The girl's helping me out. Don't get your undies in a twist."

Then I left the cafeteria, a grin spread on my face.

"Isn't that answer –2?" I asked Jordan, looking over her answer.

"Huh?" Jordan looked at the worksheet again. "You're right…That's like the fifth problem I've messed up today." Her face got red and she chuckled in nervousness as she erased her answer and filled in the correct one. "Guess you're sorry you asked me to tutor you now, huh?"

I grinned. "Not really. You're just having a rough day." My smile faded. "You did your best at practice, Jordan. Everyone has an off day." I patted her back in a friendly manner.

"I know," she sighed. "It's just," she looked at me, "I'm better than that. I've been trained to be better than that. I was fine until the last half hour of practice. Then…I dunno." Jordan's face got red and she worked on the next problem. "I'll be better tomorrow."

_You only messed up when I showed up…interesting,_ I thought smiling to myself.

I removed my hand from her back and scooted closer to her at the table. My arm barely touched hers. "How are you doing number eight? Let me see." I leaned a little closer so our faces were inches apart.

Jordan's hand trembled. "Uh, well, um…" she glanced at me. "You sure you wanna see. I might mess up again." She chuckled that nervous chuckle. "I mean-"

I put my finger gently to her lips. "Shh. Yes I'm sure I wanna see." I returned my attention to the piece of paper. "I don't get how to do those…"

Jordan turned back to her paper angrily and pulled away. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" I looked at her in fake question. "Asking how to do stuff? Isn't that what tutors are supposed to do? You know, show you how to do stuff?"

She shut her eyes in frustration. "That's not what I meant." She looked at me. "You know what you're doing. Knock if off. I'm trying to help you here."

I squeezed her hand, grinned softly. "I know. Thanks, I might actually get a good grade this year."

"Portman." Jordan looked at our hands, helplessness in her eyes. "Let go of my hand."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I laughed. "I just am so… approving…"

Jordan giggled. "I think you mean 'appreciative,' right?"

I looked confused. "Oh yeah." I looked at her in awe. "You're so smart." I poked her nose lightly. "You're pretty cute, too." I winked in a friendly way, then copied down the steps for solving number eight.

Jordan turned bright red. Then she gathered up her books. "Well, it's been fun, Portman, but-"

"Dean."

"Excuse me?" Jordan looked at me, her nose wrinkled in confusion.

"I want you to call me Dean. That's my first name." I shrugged. "I mean, if you want."

Jordan looked surprised to say the least. "Oh." She paused. "Well, Dean, it's been fun, but I've gotta go."

I stood up and helped her. "Okay." I gathered my crap together and threw it into my bag. "Thanks for your help. Tomorrow?"

Jordan beamed. "Yeah, tomorrow. Maybe I'll actually answer one right." She laughed and fiddled with her bag's strap. She brushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes. "Um, Dean?" She grabbed my arm as I began to turn away.

"Yeah?" I looked down at her.

"Um, I just wanna." She sighed, shutting her eyes. "I wanna say I'm sorry…"

"For what?" I pulled my bag up more on my shoulder.

"For judging you as a moronic punk." She looked at me in an apologetic way. "That was wrong of me and I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "That's okay, Jordan. I give off that vibe for people to think that way." I winked at her. "That way they don't mess with me."

She giggled. "Well, I'm sure at least some of them want to mess with you." She turned red and cleared her throat. "Um, well, bye."

"Wait!" I turned her around. "What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, uh, nothing." She smiled. "It was a joke. I'm just trying to lighten up, you know?" She stood up straight and waved. "Later."

I leaned down and kissed her softly. "Bye." Then I walked past her and out the library's door, not looking back.

Now here I am, in my room again, going over my homework. I can't concentrate though. I wanna call Jordan just to hear her voice…And that kiss! I mean, it was perfect. Is that sappy? God, I hope it's not…I hate being frickin' sappy. I think that's it…I guess…for now.

A/N: I hope you all liked that. I want to really try to open up Portman. In the movies all we see is his retarded teenager side. I know there's a deeper one, but there wasn't any way to just bring it in. Hopefully that wasn't too bad! R/R! Nelli


	12. Jordan's Unexpectations

A/N: Another CHAPTER! EEEEE! I'm going to make this a slightly short story; just until the State Finals…and since it's getting toward the middle of the season, it won't be long. Who will Jordan pick? Portman, or Banksy? I'll never tell; well, at least not right now…

Chapter 12: Jordan's Unexpectations 

Okay, well…I'm confused. I wasn't expecting this AT ALL. I keep thinking about that Mikaila song…you know… "So in love with 2"? That's it exactly.

I mean, I'm not stupid. I so did not want to feel this way about Adam EVER AGAIN. But the other night, when he walked me home…I definitely considered kissing him goodnight. ME! Want to KISS Adam! It was insane.

And then there's Portman. He isn't the vile, moronic punk I thought him to be. He's actually pretty sweet. And he can definitely play innocent while he's flirting. I didn't want to help him the other day, but I know how hard it is to ask teachers for help. So, I had to…

But tonight made me more confused then ever:

It was a game night; Homecoming to be exact. It was my first _real_ game at Eden Hall; the coach hadn't wanted to risk losing the game because of a girl. He didn't have faith in me, but that changed tonight. He put me in as kicker and as a receiver. I was shocked when he told me to find my helmet. But, then I grabbed my helmet and ran until the field, ready to prove myself.

We weren't doing to badly; at half time it was 17-14, Blake. I missed the field goal to tie the game, but the guys were so impressed, they didn't really rag on me. I wish they had; I deserved.

We were running into the locker room for the half time pep talk and I noticed a wheelchair by team's entrance. I looked on in disbelief as my brother, Chad, came into view. I felt myself instantly perk up at his warm smile. Then his eyes darkened as he looked past me. I turned around and saw Adam and Portman headed toward me. I groaned and made a kill motion with my hand under my throat; unfortunately, it didn't work.

"You're really something, you know that?" Portman grinned at me and gave me a huge hug. "I'm pretty impressed. But if you guys lose tonight, won't it be your first loss?"

I nodded and glanced back at Chad. He looked pissed. I totally understood why: the Ducks weren't exactly his favorite people. I grinned weakly at the boys.

"Hey, look. It's great to see you guys, but I gotta go." I was watching my brother watch me.

Adam followed my gaze. His mouth dropped in shock. "Is that…?" He looked back at me.

I looked at the ground, trying to fight tears. I bit my lip and nodded in the affirmative. "Yea, that's Chad."

Adam touched my arm sympathetically. "Jordan, what happened?" he asked softly.

I broke down, almost bawling on Adam's shoulder, with Portman standing awkwardly to one side, patting my back and watching my brother. Through my tears, I explained what happened.

"Chad gave up hockey after you guys beat the Hawks in the district championship. He started to play peewee football. It got to be a serious obsession." I wiped my tears on the back of my hand and looked up at my two new friends. "He started playing his freshman year- last year- and when he started running the ball at one of their bigger games, he was tackled in an illegal move. One of the players held him by the facemask while another rammed his helmet into Chad's knees. He tore is ACL…it can't be corrected, it's that bad." I stared back at my brother's angry face. "I'm the one to carry on his dreams now." I turned back to Adam and Portman. "That's why I can't talk to you right now…" I trailed off. I had wanted to say I couldn't talk to them anymore, but I couldn't do it. I saw the sadness in Portman's eyes; the hope in Banksy's. I couldn't upset them. I smiled. "I gotta go talk to my brother. Bye."

I practically skipped to Chad's side. He was my best friend, and I wanted to talk to him about some strategies.

"Hey, big bro!" I gave him a big hug in my grass-stained jersey that was damp from sweat and dew. "How am I doing?"

Chad smiled at me as he returned my embrace. "You're an amazing athlete, Jay." He glared back at Portman and Adam's retreating forms. "Pretty bad judge of character, though." He looked up at me. "What are you thinking? You can't get sidetracked by an ex…or some new doofus. Not to mention the fact that they're Ducks, Jordan."

I sighed. I hated being the one that upset Chad. "I know. I'm not though. They just wanted to say hi. That's it, I swear." I felt like a huge disappointment to him.

Chad looked skeptical. "I'm sorry, but you looked happy to see them. And not in a friend way." He looked straight into my eyes. "Leave them alone, Jay. Now go to your meeting."

With that, Chad turned away from me. I walked to the locker room in time to catch the tail end of the talk. I couldn't understand it. I mean, I liked spending time with the boys, but I didn't like them the way Chad said…Did I?

I sighed, slid on my helmet, and returned to the field.

We won, 21-20. I'm still confused by what Chad had said to me. I don't think I love either of them…but, what if I do…?

A/N: Adam's pov is next chappie! XOXO Nellie


	13. Rebuffed

**Chapter 13: Rebuffed**

All right, so I wanna know what crawled up Chad McGill's butt and died. Seriously. The doofus used to be my best friend: you'd think that if I showed him a little sympathy, he'd throw me a bone. I mean, I shouldn't even FEEL BAD about the whole PeeWee championship thing; he was the one who sent me to the ER.

It was the Homecoming football game tonight. I went to see Jordan in action. The rest of the Ducks were there too. Anyway, at half time, Portman and I got up to go see Jordan. That's when we saw Chad. He tore his ACL playing football. He looked pissed.

Portman and I walked away to give her some time with Chad; she left upset. I looked at Portman.

"Dude, I think I want to talk to Chad. See you back with the team?"

Portman shrugged. "Sure man. Do whatcha gotta do."

Portman returned to our place in the stands as I walked toward my ex-teammate. I smiled as I approached him, my hands in the pockets of my jeans.

"Hey, Chad. How've you been man?" I held my hand out for a high-five.

Chad looked from my hand to my face in disgust then turned his attention back to the football field. "I'm okay, Duck. You know, aside from the fact that I can't play football anymore." He sounded as disgusted as the look on his face.

"Yeah, I heard." I returned my hand to my pocket and looked at the field. "I'm really sorry, Chad. If I had known-"

"You would have done what, exactly, Banks?" Chad looked at me in fury, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Showed up in my hospital room and given me sympathy? Pitied me? Would you have thought that'd be enough for me to forgive you for being a traitor to your life-long friends…and for breaking Jordan's heart?" Chad scoffed. "Are you kidding me? That's bull, man." Chad started to wheel away.

"Hey, wait a minute, buddy." I reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He slapped my hand away. "I never _betrayed_ the Hawks…That was ruled on by the Association and you know it. Yes, I made friends with the Ducks after playing with them for a while, but I wanted to STAY your friend." I ran my hand through my hair. "And I didn't break Jordan's heart…" I lowered my voice and looked over to where the football team was entering. Jordan was staring straight ahead. "She broke mine…" I turned and glared at Chad, who was looking over his shoulder at his sister. "Because of you. So don't give me that crap. I wouldn't have pitied you; I would have felt sorry for you." I started to walk away. A few steps back toward my seat, I turned and looked at Chad. "NOW, I pity you…Because you can't let it go and accept what's happened. See ya."

I walked back to the Ducks. Portman raised an eyebrow at me. I shook my head and sat down between Russ and Charlie, where I'd been sitting earlier. I sighed heavily.

"What's up, Banksy?" Charlie looked at me in concern. "Feeling the pressure from Portman?" His face broke into a grin.

I faked a scowl. "No, you idiot. I'm just worried about the game." I was watching the team practice. "What do you think our chances are?"

Charlie shrugged. "I dunno…good, I guess. We're only down by three." Charlie followed my gaze to Jordan. "Why do you ask?"

_Because I don't know what this will do to her_, I thought to myself. "Because I don't want the dance to suck tomorrow night."

**I was** leaning on the frame by Jordan's door, my head back. It was well past midnight; I could hear soft melodies streaming from under the door. The light was glowing in the thin space below the door; was she still up? I had no idea.

I sighed. _Why is it so hard to ask her to the dance?_ I had bought her roses and planned out exactly what I was going to say. I thought now would be the perfect time to do it; they'd just won.

But I couldn't. I sighed again, running a hand through my hair, a nervous habit I'd recently developed. I was about to place the roses at the base of the door when the knob turned. I whirled around and was face to face with Jordan…who was just as surprised to see me, as I was to be found by her.

"Adam…hey." She straightened slightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "What are you doing here?"

"Feeling like an idiot…" I muttered and chuckled nervously. I handed her the flowers. "These are for you. Congratulations." I smiled weakly.

"Thank you…" She looked at the flowers. "These seem a little…much…for a win. What is it that you're buttering me up for Banksy?" She stared into my eyes.

I cleared my throat. "Well…I wanted to-to…" I fiddled nervously with my belt loops, shuffling my feet. I looked down. "To ask if you'd go to the dance with me," I finally whispered.

"Oh, Adam."

I looked up, fearing the worst. Silent tears were running down Jordan's smiling face. I wiped one away; she closed her eyes and sighed softly.

"Are you finally asking me out on a date, Adam?" Her eyes opened.

I smiled. "It's about time, don't you think?"

She giggled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I do."

And to my surprise, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you outside the dance at seven, okay?"

All I could do is nod. I was too shocked to say anything. Then I waved and walked to the stairs. I heard Jordan's door shut as I walked down the staircase. I exited the dorm building, smiling broadly. "The star receiver of the football team is going to the Homecoming dance with me."

I've had stars in my eyes ever since…and that was three hours ago. I should sleep, but I'm so…excited, nervous, anxious…about the dance that I can't. But I think I should try again. I just hope Portman's not too upset when he finds out who Jordan's going with; the last thing I want is to lose another friend.

A/N: Another chapter…Hope y'all liked it! I worked hard on it…(not really…it only took like twenty minutes…) R/R, and as always, I love you! Nelli


	14. Averman catching on?

**Chapter 14: Averman…catching…on…?**

Okay, I know I'm not the brightest bulb in the box…But something is up. Portman is having Jordan tutor him in Algebra…And from what I saw the other day, he's doing more than studying with her. OH! And I saw Banksy comforting her at the football game when Goldie and I went to get nachos and popcorn. Portman looked a little hurt, but Jordan was pretty much ignoring him.

Then the strangest thing happened: Adam ditched us after the game. Said he had to do something and he couldn't hang out. I left the gang a few minutes later, saying I was kinda tired after all the excitement. I was walking toward my dorm, wondering what Banksy could be up to, when I saw him enter the dorm Jordan lived in…with a bouquet of roses!

I know something's going on…but what in hell is it? Is Jordan playing them both? Or does she just like one and the other's confused? Or even worse: she doesn't know?

**I walked** up behind Jordan; she was entering a salon, probably to get her hair done for the dance tonight. I cleared my throat loudly. She turned to face me, a grin on her face.

"Hey, Averman. What's up?"

"Oh, uh, not much, Jordan." The girl still made me nervous; she HAD beaten up Portman and Fulton at the same time. "Beaten up any goons lately?"

She laughed. "No not recently. What can I do for you?" She crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow.

I sighed, throwing my hands out in exasperation. "Look, this may sound a little…nuts, but I know something's up between you, Banksy, and Portman." I turned my face slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Do I wanna know?"

Jordan laughed again. "Oh, THAT." She patted my cheek in a friendly way. "They have crushes on me, that's all." She bit her lip and looked down the street toward the dorms. "At least I hope that's all," she muttered, more to herself than to me.

"Whaddya mean?" I looked shocked. "You don't like either of them?"

"Oh, no! That's not what I'm saying…" She looked at me anxiously. "I'm just saying, I don't want them to be _in love _with me…I like them both. That makes this so hard…" She looked on the verge of tears, staring at her shoelaces.

I lifted her chin up with a finger. "Hey, what's that mean?"

She smiled through tears. "I'm going to the dance with Banksy. He asked me last night." She sniffled. "The problem is, I like Portman, but I've known Banksy for so long…He gets me, you know?" She shook her head quickly. "Not that I don't want Portman to get to know me…It's just easier for me right now." She sighed. "Banksy knows Chad, and that makes it easier."

Jordan straightened and wiped her face clean. She gave me a thousand-watt smile. Then she pointed into the salon. "Well, I'm off to get my hair and nails done. Interested?"

I wrinkled my nose. "I think I'd rather be checked into the glass by Fulton."

She giggled. "'Lright. See you at the dance tonight." She went into the building.

"Yeah wouldn't miss it for the world." Then I slid my hands into my pockets and started back to my room.

**Well, it's** almost time for the dance. Goldie knows everything; he's my best friend! I had to tell him. STOP JUDGING ME!………Man, I can't even do a diary right… Anyway, we're off to dance the night away…And try to stop Banksy and Portman from killing each other. But I doubt we'll be of much help; they're both pretty pig-headed…especially about Jordan.

A/N: Another short Averman chappie…He hasn't been in the story for a while, so I thought a chapter from his POV would be good. …R/R, everybody! I need ideas! Lol…XOXOXO Always Nellie


	15. Portman's Homecoming Revelation

**Chapter 15: Portman's Homecoming Revelation**

I can't believe it…I just can't FRICKIN' believe it…What did he do to deserve her? WHAT?

…Man, I need to calm down and write all this out. Okay, so I know that Jordan and Banksy are really close. Got that. But I thought the girl and I turned over a new leaf…I thought, well, that she cared about me too. It all started when she showed up at the dance with Banksy…GOD DAMMIT!

**So, I arrived** at the dance about ten minutes early in my black dress shirt, a white wife beater just visible through the top few unbuttoned buttons, and black pants. I paid for myself and stood inside the door, holding this really nice white corsage. I was hoping to get Jordan's attention before Banksy got to the dance, to secure plenty of dances with her. I was walking around the cafeteria (the venue for the night's festivities), looking at all the tacky streamers and balloons in the darkened room. I heard the soft murmur of people outside the double doors and turned around to see Connie and Guy walking in, arm in arm. They looked really nice in their matching suit and dress (Guy's idea, I'm told; the guy wanted everything to be perfect…m'kay). Then, Goldie and Averman walked in, in nice dress shirts and khakis…They were laughing and joking about something, but when Averman saw me, he swallowed nervously and walked quickly to the other side of the caf. Charlie and Linda strolled in next, holding hands with their heads very close together in a very mushy pose. I grinned in spite of myself and continued to watch the door.

Banksy came in next, about five minutes after the rest of our teammates. He was grinning over to the edge right next to the door, possibly at someone just beyond the field of vision. He seemed to be coaxing the person toward the door. My heart sank. I had a pretty good idea who he was talking to. I walked a few steps closer.

"Trust me, you look great." His grin widened as he reached out and clasped his hand around something, tugging softly. "You always do." He looked into the room and saw me coming his way. "Hey, Portman, come here. Will you tell her she looks great?"

Banksy gave one more mighty tug and pulled a flushed Jordan to his side, his arm automatically going to her waist. She looked at my feet, slight embarrassment on her features. Her hair was half up, half down. There were diamond-like studs in her ears; her nails looked like they'd been done that day. The dress she wore clung to her body like a glove; it was a tight red number, with thin little straps that kept sliding off her shoulder and she'd shove them back up in frustration. Strappy heels covered her feet; she looked beautiful.

I cleared my throat; she had taken my breath away. You'd have thought that the red of her hair would have clashed with the dress, but they fit together so well. "You look great," I finally managed to utter, through massive disappointment and jaw-dropping awe. I held the corsage out to her, causing her to look up into my face. "For you."

She smiled slightly. "That was sweet, thank you." She slid it onto her thin wrist and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Her smiled grew bigger, but didn't quite meet her eyes. "I'll save you a dance, okay?" She slugged me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, great. Banksy." I nodded to my teammate and walked toward a wall, leaning on it as the music started.

I don't know why I was so bummed; I barely noticed Fulton joining me on one side, Ken Wu on the other. We all must have looked like the biggest dorks at the dance…the only Ducks not dancing. Even Averman had a girl…though she didn't look too happy to be dancing with him.

I don't know how many songs played before Jordan broke away from Banksy's side. She looked upset and was shaking her head at him in disbelief. I perked slightly. She stormed away from him and to a chair across the room, placing her head into her hands. He didn't look like he dared to follow.

I ran a hand through my hands and crossed the room to her side. I turned a chair backwards on one side of Jordan, straddling it casually. I placed a hand delicately on her back. She jumped, but looked a little pleased to see me…she had been crying.

"Portman, what's goin on? Having fun?" She wiped her mascara tears off her cheeks.

"I'm guessing slightly more than you…" I wiped a smudge off one of her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

She laughed hollowly. "Oh, Adam just thinks that football is too dangerous…that I shouldn't be playing at all…says I'm playing for all the wrong reasons." She crossed her arms across her chest huffily. "As if he knows, asshole. I knew it was a mistake to come with him." She laughed again, shaking her head slowly. "I really thought this would be fun…" She looked down at her fingers. "Guess not."

As I was about to respond, I noticed the song playing in the background; it was a new Backstreet Boys song…and, unfortunately, I knew all the words. I took Jordan's hand. "Come on."

She hesitated. "Where are we going?"

"Didn't you promise me a dance?" I grinned and pulled her to her feet.

Leading the way to the floor, I glided between couples to a spot by Charlie, Linda, Guy and Connie. I placed my arms around Jordan's waist and pulled her close. I noticed Charlie and Guy giving me thumbs-ups behind their girlfriends' backs. I returned my attention to Jordan; I could feel her body tense up as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I'm not going to bite, you know…Unless you ask nicely." I wiggled my brows up and down.

She giggled uncomfortably, but relaxed a little bit. She started swaying to the soft melodies of "All I Have to Give."

"I don't care if he buys you nice things. Does his gifts come from the heart? I dunno, but if you were my girl, I'd make it so we'd never be apart." I was whispering softly into Jordan's ear. She gasped softly and pressed her cheek closer to mine, humming the song.

"But love is all I have to give. When you talk, does it seem like he's not listening to a word you say? That's okay, baby, just tell me your problems. I'll try my best to kiss them all away…"

Jordan pulled away and stared up at me. "Thanks, Portman. That made me feel better." A smile brightened up her face.

I leaned down and kissed her softly. "Anytime, bright eyes." I pulled away from her, taking one of her hands in mine. "Don't let Banksy get to you, okay? You play because you love it…it may have started for your brother, but now you do it for you." I winked at her. "That's all that's important." I kissed the back of her hand and walked away, not breaking eye contact with her until I walked out the door.

Fulton soon followed my lead. He informed me that Banksy was pissed that I'd charmed his date out of a kiss. But as I walked by the door later, I noticed his arms were once more around her, and she looked quite content. I hadn't even made an impression.


	16. JORDAN IS A BLONDE?

A/N: OMG! I'm so happy I'm updating…I've been soooo busy with school stuff that there's unfortunately no time for writing…BUT I WILL FINISH THESE LAST THREE POSTED STORIES! I SWEAR TO GOD! Oh, and I'm retyping a story my sis and I started called Lord of the Rings Dating Game…Yeah, pretty self-explanatory…We had to take it off b/c it was in script from…BUT I'm FIXING IT! So, it will be back…Enjoy Ch. 16.

**Chapter 16: JORDAN IS A BLONDE…?**

Okay, so lately, I've been a little…blonde? Pardon the cliché but I'm acting all giggly and girly and it's really annoying.

Tonight, Adam reinforced this image of myself by telling me to stop playing football. I yelled and cussed and walked away. That's typical Jordan. On the defensive. But then Portman came over to talk to me, and I got all nervous and…girly! He calmed me down and made me dance with him…HE SANG THE DAMN SONG! And then…he kissed me.

Truthfully? I think I kissed him back. I KNOW! Portman is egotistically, self-absorbed, shallow, chauvinistic…and I think I'm falling for him.

I'm so confused. I mean really. I had NO intention of going out with a Duck ever again after the Banksy/Chad thing. But now, I'm having second thoughts.

Portman makes me feel like a girl. Not a prize, not a legacy. It's like he understands me. And I like that…

So, yeah…Banksy is officially out of my life romantically. What he did today was totally uncalled for. He deserved what he got, but still. How juvenile can he be!

**I was practically** running to math. I don't know why I was late; I did the exact same things I do every morning. But, for some reason, there I was in the hallway with approximately thirty seconds before the bell rang.

And then Adam pops up out of nowhere.

"Hey, baby." He leaned down and kissed me, practically shoving me against a nearby locker, grabbing at my body.

I push him back, slapping him hard across the face. "WHAT THE HELL!" And then the bell rang. I glared at him, glad to have an excuse to vacate his presence before killing him. "I'll talk to you about this later."

My math teacher wasn't very understanding: he made me go get a tardy pass and assigned me extra homework. When class finally got over, I was glad to be rid of the entire thing, and math's my favorite subject.

As I was walking to my next class, an arm went possessively around my shoulder. I looked over at the arm's owner, and low and behold, Adam Banks had draped himself about me.

I stopped in the middle of the hallway, getting lots of snide remarks from people behind me. I was already exasperated; Adam was making things much, MUCH worse.

"Adam, what is going on?" I was practically pleading with him for answer.

"Just walking my girl to class." His smile was sweet, endearing even…If it hadn't been for the thuggish way he'd said my girl.

"Your girl? What, one dance and we're back together?" I was incredulous…no, I was pissed. How dare he! I turned on my heel and stalked away toward my class.

"Come on, Jordan. You know we're meant to be together." He stopped me and whirled me around, right into him. "Can't you feel the chemistry between us?"

He was way into my personal space and I didn't like it. "I feel something, but it ain't chemistry…" I left the remark in the air with a raise of my eyebrows and flipped my hair into his face, a neat trick since it was so short. I don't know how many times Adam called my name after I walked away, but ignoring him was my only option…well, that and kicking him in the head.

**I didn't have **practice that night, so I got a hold of Portman between classes to see if he needed any math help. We set up a time to meet in the library after school and I went about my day going over my notes to make sure I didn't make a fool of myself AGAIN.

At exactly 3:30, I strolled into the library, searching for my study buddy. He was in the back corner, and waved at me when I came in. His smile was infectious and I returned it happily. I approached the table, my bag sliding off my shoulder as I went.

The chair beside Portman was already pulled out, so I took it. My bag fell to the floor and I slid down into my seat, thankful that Banksy wasn't anywhere around.

"Hey," Portman whispered, turning in his seat so he was facing me. "Someone looks as if she's had a rough one."

"Dean, you have no idea." It was the first time I'd used his first name and it felt nice rolling off my tongue.

Portman's smile widened. "I like when you call me by my first name. And usually I hate it."

I winked at him. "It's just cuz you think I'm cute."

He shook his head, leaning closer to me. "Nah, I don't think that's it."

Our eyes locked and suddenly all the formulas I spent all afternoon looking over left my head. I couldn't help thinking _oh, no._ Let's face it; the guy made it easy for me to so not like myself.

"Well, what do you have questions about?" Finally breaking the silence…

"I don't know. I guess I don't understand this one." Portman glared at a question in his book and pointed it out to me.

After reading through it, I laughed out loud. "You are such a brat! You answered a question EXACTLY like that last week and corrected my answer." I slugged him in the shoulder. "Keep that up and I'll think you lured me here under false pretenses."

Portman held his hands up in surrender. "You got me. I'm a bad, bad man." He placed his arm on the back of my chair, leaning closer to me. "But I couldn't think of another excuse to see you."

The "oh no" came out of my mouth this time. Portman smiled and nodded. "Yep, you're in trouble."

Then he leaned over and kissed me. It wasn't like I could just shove him away…He was sitting down too close for it to do any good…Okay, I'm making excuses! I could have gotten away, but I didn't want to.

"Keep your hands off her!" Someone a few aisles over jumped out and attacked Portman.

I looked up to see Adam attempting to punch Portman on whatever part of his body he could reach.

"ADAM! Stop!" I jumped up and tried to grab his arm but he pushed me down onto a nearby table.

Instead of returning to Portman, he started screaming at me. "Why are you letting him kiss you? You're my girlfriend! I'm the one who loves you! Why are you doing this to us?" He collapsed onto his knees in front of me and started crying. "I'm not losing you to him. I'm not."

I patted Adam oddly on the back. "Adam, did I ever say I'd be your girlfriend?"

Adam sniffled. "No." He looked up at me. "Am I crazy?"

I smiled softly. "I just think you're jealous."

"Me, too." Portman chimed in, rubbing the side of his head.

Adam's eyes darkened and he was back on his feet, pounding on Portman again. "I hate you! I hate you! Why did you do this! Why? You know I love her!"

Portman finally managed to get a swing in between Adam's flailing arms. Adam went down like a ton of bricks and Portman had a black eye.

I looked from one boy to the other. Portman grimaced at me. "Sorry about hitting him. But it was self-defense."

I nodded and grabbed my bag from the other side of the table.

"Where you going?" Portman stood up and placed his hands on my arms.

"To my dorm. Away from you and Adam. I can't deal with this." I looked down at Adam. "You two are friends. You shouldn't be fighting…really fighting…over me." I looked back into Portman's eyes. "Besides, I don't like the girl I become with either of you…I'm all defensive and mean with Adam and I'm all girly and cutesy when I'm with you." I shook my head. "I'm not either of those things."

I tried to maneuver around Portman. He kept standing there, staring down at me.

"Move."

"Usually, you'd make me." He didn't smile. He looked directly into my face. "Why aren't you trying to make me move, Jordan?"

"Because I don't feel like it." I tried again.

"Why?" Portman's hands were moving up my arms and around my back.

"Because I don't, ok?" I was getting testy and I tried to pull away.

"No, it's not okay. You had no problem trying to physically get Banksy to stop." He pulled me back to him almost coaxingly. "Why can't you do that with me?"

I looked up at him. His face was devoid of emotion. It was more a look of curiosity then anything else.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Portman quickly. "Don't ask questions you already know the answers to." And then I slide away from him and out the door.

**Now here I am,** back in my dorm, wondering what the hell I meant by that last statement. And I'm curious to know how Banksy is too. I'm worried about him. But not much. That crap he pulled was so stupid…even for him. And I'm kind of worried that I might be leading Portman on. Because I'm not sure of my feelings. But I'm sure I'll find out…eventually.

A/N: Okay, so I think y'all know who I'm aiming to get Jordan with. But I don't know how to make Adam accept it. I'm kinda making him stalkerish, b/c Jordan is the only girl he's ever loved and he's scared of losing her. But you might not like that. Don't worry, it shouldn't last too long. I hope. I don't want a fifty chapter story… …Love you guys and ttyl Nellie


	17. Adam Delusional

**Chapter 17: Adam Delusional**

Why was she with him? Why? I don't understand it…We're meant to be together. Fate brought us back together. And she's hanging all over Portman. I just…I'm at a loss.

**It's not like I** expected Jordan to forgive me immediately. Or Portman for that matter. I told him I was sorry, asked if there was anything I could do. He just semi-smiled at me. Shook his head no. Walked away, with Fulton glaring at me over his shoulder.

"Banksy, why'd you do it?" Charlie was as confused as I was. He was walking with me to my Social Studies class.

"I dunno, Charlie. I saw them kissing and I-I just freaked." My eyes became narrow slits. "He shouldn't be touching her." Jordan was down the hall, leaning over a drinking fountain. Her hair was sliding out from behind her ear as a member of the football team walked up behind her, said something, made her laugh. "They should all stay away from her."

Charlie's eyebrow went up. "Banksy, Jordan's got a point. She's not your girlfriend. She just went with you to the dance. And she doesn't need all this pressure from you right now. She's got the championship game coming up in a couple weeks." Charlie looked down the hall at Jordan, laughing and talking animatedly with her teammates. "Think of all the strain Chad's putting on her…It's gotta be tough." Then he clapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

**I felt like crap** by lunchtime. I mean, I was doubting my best friend's loyalty, hating one of my teammates, and becoming physically sick at the sight of the woman I love talking to any other guy. On the bright side, Portman had tried to talk to Jordan for a few minutes and she'd just walked away. So, I wasn't the only one she was ignoring. That made me feel slightly better.

Unfortunately, Portman caught me smiling at his attempt to talk to her. And then he stormed over to my table. He pulled me out of my chair and threw me to the ground. He glared down at me.

"Think that's funny, Banksy?" He yelled at me. "You think it's cool that I can't get the woman I love to talk to me because you're a juvenile little prick?"

Jordan ran to my side. She helped me sit up. "Enough! This is insane!" She grabbed my shoulders and looked me square in the eyes. "Adam, I realize you still have feelings for me, but fate did not bring us back together. My scholarship did. And you don't want me playing, so we can't be together. I'll still be your friend, and you'll always be my first love, but we're not getting back together ever." She kissed my cheek. Then she stood and faced Portman. "As for you, look who's talking, Dean. I'm so disgusted with you, I can't look at you. Maybe if you were more grown up, I could try." She sighed and tears filled her eyes. "But now, I just can't. Excuse me." Then she ran from the cafeteria.

Portman's eyes lost the sparkle that had entered them as soon as Jordan flounced over. I immediately felt like a dick. "Hey, Portman." I stood up and went toward him.

He held up a hand. "Leave me alone, Banksy." Then he went out the side door of the cafeteria, toward the grounds. I could have sworn I saw his eyes fill up with tears.

**I found him a little** while later in the locker room, pounding on a locker instead of my face. He was crying; his knuckles were bleeding. I entered and sat across from where he was destroying school property.

"What do you want, Preppy?" Portman's voice dripped acid.

I cleared my throat. "To apologize." I looked down at my intertwined fingers. "I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I just…" I sighed, running a finger through my hair. "Things didn't end the way I wanted them to between Jordan and myself. I did love her…Do love her. But that also means I want her to be happy. And she would be…" I looked up at him. "With you. She wants to be with you."

Portman laughed hollowly. "Except that she wants nothing to do with me. Thanks to you." He glared at me.

I nodded. "That's true, but I'll make it up to you."

Portman's eyebrow went up. "How?"

I stood up and walked across the locker room. I slapped him on the back. "Just, leave everything to me." I walked to the door, opened it, and started out. I turned back around. "I won't screw you over, I promise." And then I left Portman to his thoughts.

A/N: Okay, so I'm thinking three more chapters. It's really coming together well…And I just want to get Portman and Jordan together. I hope y'all like it. And see? Adam wasn't crazy for long. XO Nellie


	18. Averman Confused

**Chapter 18: Averman Confused**

(A/N: Thought I'd include another short Averman chappie to move things along while I'm trying to come up with a plan for Adam to help Portman. R/R)

So, I have no idea what the world is coming to: Adam becomes a stalker and tries to attack Portman; Jordan goes back to her reclusive self; and Portman is in love. Yeah, I know! Really truly, head over heels in love. With Banksy's ex.

No one saw me get up after Jordan left at lunch. I followed Portman across the grounds. I came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Portman, you okay?"

"Averman, I'm not in the mood." He walked away from me.

"I know, and normally I try to stay away from you because you terrify me. But, I've talked to Jordan about this." I watched Portman stop walking and turn slightly. "It was before the dance."

"Oh, well, that wasn't forever ago or anything," he replied in sarcasm.

"Yeah, but at that time, she was interested in both you and Banks. Now, she just wants you."

Portman whirled around and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Did she tell you that?"

I shook my head, but smiled at the sparkle in his eyes. "Nope. But I can tell. She said 'if you grew up' she would try. She never said never, like she did with Banks. She likes you, guy."

Portman's eyes widened. "You're right. She didn't. I just have to act a little more mature. Not fly off the handle with Banksy. Learn to let things go. She's on the football team; she'll have guy friends and stuff. I just have to knock off the jealousy shit." His eyes fell. "How do I do that? I can't even do that with a friend…how do I do it with strangers?" He let my arms go. "Thanks for trying, Averman." And he walked away.

I couldn't convince him to turn around and listen. There had to be a way to help. That's why when I found Banksy running around after school, I stopped him midstride.

"Where's the fire, Banksy?"

"Hey, have you seen Jordan?" He looked around frantically.

"Do you really want to get kicked down again?" I laughed nervously.

Banks shot me a dirty look. "It's for Portman, retard. I want to help him. He deserves a good girl like Jordan; and she really likes him too." His eyes filled with sadness. "I could tell by the way she kissed him."

"So, why are you trying to find her?" I was a little confused.

"To talk to her for Portman. Tell her I had everything coming. Show her he's a great guy. You get the idea." His eyes resumed their frantic searching.

"Well, she only said she'd try with him if he was grown up. So, I highly doubt she'd listen to that." I slugged Banks on the shoulder.

"Ohmigod, you're right. I have to prove that he's grown up." He looked thoughtful for a moment and then his eyes lit up. He snapped his fingers. "That's it!" He squeezed me tightly. "Thanks, Averman! You're a genius!"

"Thanks!" I yelled after Adam's disappearing body.

I still have no idea what his plan is. And that was four hours ago. But I just hope that whatever it is, it helps Portman. I don't think he can handle it if he doesn't get Jordan. He loves her so much that being without her would ruin him. And that's weird; that I care, I mean. Because with Portman depressed, I wouldn't get my butt kicked anymore. He is my friend, though. I should just hope for the best and hope he doesn't get crushed too badly.


	19. Portman Returns?

**Chapter 19: Portman Returns?**

Tonight, I was at another Warriors football game. I have no idea why…yes, I do. To see her. Because even if it's just watching her pulverize another guy on an opposing team, it's still seeing her. I miss her. I miss our tutoring sessions. My grades were really improving because I was trying to be a better guy, one she would deserve. I even laid off beating Averman up, which had been quite the task, what with how annoying he is. I just wanted to make her proud of me…love me, too…guess that wasn't worth it…

Banksy was at the game too; he was over by the sidelines, talking to Jordan's brother. He looked pretty ticked off. I was really confused. How was talking to her douche bag brother going to save me? I decided I should maybe check it out and see if my best interests were being protected.

**When** Portman approached them, Banksy looked up at him and grinned. "Speak of the devil. Portman, I want you to meet Jordan's brother, Chad. Chad, this is Dean Portman. He's the guy I was just telling you about."

Chad looked Portman up and down and returned his attention to Banksy. "This is the guy? The guy Jordan likes?"

Portman grabbed his shoulder and got down on his level. "Is there a problem with that?" He growled at him.

Chad looked from my face to my hand on his shoulder. I almost thought he was going to shove it off. Then he kind of smiled at me and held out his hand to me. "Nice to meet you."

Portman looked confused but shook his hand anyway. "You…too…"

Chad laughed. "I like you. Tough, to the point. Plus, you kind of got thrown onto the team like Banksy here. We were just debating that again. And he makes a lot of sense." He looked up at Banks and smiled. He returned his attention to Portman. "Plus, you're the only guy who's spoken to me since the accident that's gotten down on my level. I appreciate that."

Portman shrugged. "It's a respect thing, man. I may be a jerk half the time, but I do respect great athletes."

Chad's face got dark for a minute. "Don't bullshit me. You only 'respect' me because you want my sister."

Portman shrugged. "Fine, it's true. I want your help."

Banksy interrupted. "That's why I was over here talking to him." He looked down at Chad. "Jordan listens to you. Maybe, if you talk to Portman, get to know him, you'll find out he's pretty mature for his age, and convince Jordan to date him."

Chad shrugged. "If he really cares about Jordan and it'll make her less pissy, then let's try it."

Portman looked confused again. "Pissy?"

"Yeah, since this dumb shit pissed her off earlier this week, she just hasn't been her usual perky self. She's really ticked all the time. Or really depressed. So, anything that gets her out of that rut, I'm all for."

"Well, let's do this." Portman squatted into a more comfortable position. "What do you want to know, man?"

Chad took a deep breath. "Why do you like my sister?"

Portman smiled. "She's strong. I like that about her. She doesn't need to be protected. She does what she wants, like play football. She's really smart, and she can still be feminine while being tough. She lets me treat her like a girl, but can still be tough with me. I need that sometimes." He shook his head. "I tried so hard to fight this stupid crap with Banksy, because I hate seeing her upset. I started doing better in class, both grades and attitude, so she wouldn't be embarrassed by me. I love her."

Chad looked at him for a minute in silence. "So, she's just pissed because Banksy kept butting into your relationship…and you reacted." He sighed. "Sounds like she's the one who needs to mature." Portman stifled a laugh as Chad continued. "Sure, I'll talk to her. I don't have a problem telling her she's stupid." He held out his hand to Portman. "But the first time you come between her and football, or you hurt her, I'll kick your ass. Don't let the chair fool you. I can do it."

Portman shook his hand again. "I won't hurt her, I swear. Thanks for your help, Chad."

"Not at all. Banksy," he held out his hand to his friend. "I'll see you on Saturday night to watch the college game, right?"

Banksy shook his hand and smiled. "Yeah, of course. Looking forward to it. Thanks again, Chad."

Chad shrugged and returned his attention to the game. "Catch ya later."

The two hockey players walked away from Jordan's brother. Portman smiled over to Banksy. "Thanks man."

"Hey, no problem. If anyone can get through to her, it's Chad. Besides it was time for us to start talking again anyway. I've kinda missed him."

"Glad you guys are reconnecting."

"Me, too. Good luck man." Banksy clapped him on the back and walked out of the stadium.

**After that**, I just looked back to the game, looking for Jordan in the crowd of players. She was doing a great job; State was in the bag. I smiled and left the game. When I got home, I sat down and wrote this entry and now I think I'll head to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

A/N: R&R ~Nelli~


	20. Jordan's Confused Again

A/N: So, I noticed I screwed up some tense changes in the last one. Sorry about that. It was supposed to go into third person after Portman went to protect his interests and there were a couple of parts I didn't do that with. I'm sorry! L I'm working on keeping in tense, so bear with me! Enjoy.

**Chapter 20: Jordan's Confused…again…**

Okay, so I don't have any freaking clue what's gotten into my brother, but it's got to stop. He's all about Portman now, which is absurd. How does he even know him? And Adam came over Saturday night to watch Texas A&M game. Yes, ADAM. And he didn't look at me or try to talk to me, unless he was asking me to hand him a pizza box so he could get another slice. It's like, well, annoying. How can he say he loves me and ignore me so completely. What the hell was his issue? And all the while, Chad was sitting there talking about Portman. And Adam was agreeing! YES, ADAM!...I'm so confused…

_Later that day_

I have no idea what is going on. Here's what happened today:

**Jordan walked** into the school. The team had won Friday night, which meant they were in the State Championship game. She was so excited! She was also the first girl in the history of the state to be on the offensive line _and _the only girl whose team made it to the finals. It was pretty impressive and all the students knew it. People she had never spoken to before were approaching her in the hallways, asking for autographs and congratulating her on a great game: they finally knew she was for real. It was fantastic.

Jordan opened her locker and placed her books inside. She closed the door and jumped when she noticed Portman leaning on a locker next to hers. She glared at him.

"You just scared the hell out of me."

Portman smiled at her. "Sorry." He shifted so he was more comfortable and tilted his head. "How you doing, Miss State Finals?"

She smiled. "Don't jinx me." Then she remembered she was mad at him and decided she didn't want to encourage him. Her smile melted into a frown. "What can I help you with?"

Portman shrugged. "Well, you won't talk to me, so I can't ask you to help me with math anymore"

Jordan cut in, "You don't need help." She started walking toward class.

Portman fell into step with her. "I guess I just wanted to say congrats and ask how Chad was."

Jordan stopped her walking and turned to face him. "About that." She pushed Portman into a nearby classroom. It was empty and she shut the door. She placed the bag she was carrying on a nearby desk and looked up at Portman, crossing her arms across her chest.

"If you wanted to be alone with me, you just had to ask." Portman smiled and sat on a desk in front of her.

Jordan made a face and glared down at him. "How much did you pay him?"

Portman looked at her innocently. "Pay who?"

"Don't play dumb!" Jordan smacked him on the chest. "What did you do for my brother to sing your praises?"

Portman shrugged. "Nothing. I met him at the game Friday night. We talked for a little while. I like him." Portman's smile returned. "He's talking about me?"

Jordan sighed and threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Yeah, he and Banksy both. I want to know what you did." She walked up to him and grabbed him by the shirt front. "And I want to know now."

Portman looked down at her hand and then stared straight back into her eyes. "I like it when you play rough."

Jordan let go of him and turned away. She could feel her face getting red all over and it made her feel very uncomfortable. "I have to go."

Portman grabbed her arm softly, getting off the desk and standing at his full height. "Don't." He pulled her back so she was leaning against him. He ran his fingertips up and down one of her cheeks. "Please stay here for a minute." He nuzzled his nose near her ear, and whispered, "Please."

Jordan relaxed, breathing deeply. She wanted this, she did. But then she had flashes of how he'd react to her teammates; to her male friends. He couldn't even be nice when it was one of his friends in the picture. She pulled herself away. "I can't. I have to go to class."

"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" Portman sighed.

"Well, you didn't really think it would only take a weekend for me to get over it and forgive you?" Jordan scoffed.

"I was hoping." Portman ran a hand through his hair. He cut in front of her and blocked the door. "Would it make you any happier with me if I know I was wrong and I apologized?" His eyes lit up. "And I'm considering anger management."

Jordan looked at him, eyes wide. Then she laughed. "You make me laugh. That's a start." She walked up to him and tried to push him out of the way. He didn't budge. "Move."

"Just one thing. Then I'll move." Jordan looked at him expectantly. "Kiss me."

"NO way," she said, shaking her head. She tried moving him again, but he remained firmly in place.

"Come on, it's not like you haven't done it before. One kiss won't kill you." He folded his arms across his chest.

Jordan looked reluctant. "Just one?" He nodded. "Fine." Jordan stepped closer to him. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

Portman closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt her shiver as he traced circles on her lower back. He chuckled softly. "What's the matter?"

Jordan shook her head slowly and pressed herself against him. Portman slowly moved his lips along her neck and cheek; he smiled to himself when heard Jordan moan softly. He reached her lips and covered them softly at first and then applied more pressure. He felt her move her arms around his neck and run her fingers through his hair. He wanted her so badly, but couldn't take her; he promised one kiss. He pulled away and smiled down at her. Her eyes were still closed and she looked like she was in the middle of a meltdown.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?" She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I'm great. That was great." Then she realized what she said and she cleared her throat. "Okay, well, I'll go now. Bye."

She grabbed her bag and put it back over her shoulder. Then she started toward the door. Portman grabbed her hand. She turned and looked at him. "Yes?"

He stepped toward her and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I'm ready, whenever you are." And he kissed her hand and moved around her and out the door.

**It was all** very confusing to me. I mean, I should still be mad at him. He was so obnoxious but now I want to forget all about what I said to him and let him back into my life. I just don't think I'm ready to trust him. What if he blows up again. I couldn't take it. I guess I need a little more time. But that kiss…that was spectacular. If he kisses me like that again, I'll give in. For sure.


	21. Adam's Last

Chapter 21: Adam's Last

Okay, so I let her go. It was tough, but I had to do it. I mean, if it meant losing both her friendship and Portman's, it wasn't worth it. Plus, Jordan's right: it's over between us. I mean, I love her and everything, but if she can't see us together, ever, than why waste my time? I could be focusing on so much more. And I just don't feel comfortable with her playing ball. Never would. And she loves it so much, she could never deal with me as a boyfriend. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, knowing she wants to be with someone else.

**It was the** middle of the week: the championship game was only two days away. Adam was watching Jordan at lunchtime; she was sitting with her football friends, laughing, pieces of hair falling into her eyes. They were all excited about the game. Adam was a wreck.

_Please let her get through this game ok,_ he thought to himself as he returned his attention to the table and his teammates. He glanced over at Portman. The man was in a really bad mood. He hadn't talked to Jordan since Monday, and it was really upsetting him.

Adam totally understood. Portman had done a pretty risky thing with Jordan and left the ball in her court. And, from the way he had described it, Jordan was ready to give in because she really didn't want to stay mad at him. But, from the looks of things, she wasn't as ready as Portman thought she was.

Adam sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. There had to be some way to fix this. It was all his fault. He should be able to talk to her and get her to go back to Portman. They were perfect for each other, at least at this point in their lives. She was smart and spunky and didn't take his crap, and he supported her and wanted to take care of her which she needed. He had to find a way to help them out, and make Jordan realize Portman was the one for her.

Adam turned back around and saw Jordan getting up from her table. He looked back at Portman and made a motion, saying he was going to go talk to her. Portman, still glowering, nodded and went back to playing with his food.

He stood up. "Think I'm going to go get some fresh air. See you guys at practice."

Everyone said goodbye and he walked over to throw his things away. Jordan was saying goodbye to her teammates and heading out into the hallway. Adam followed quickly behind, trying to catch up to her.

She stopped at her locker and Adam stopped right behind her. "Hey."

Jordan glanced over at him. "Hey."

Well, it wasn't much, but it was a start. "Look, I want to apologize. I was a complete and total prick and I'm sorry."

Jordan shut her locker and leaned against it. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Jordan, you and Portman belong together." He blurted out, to get to the heart of his reason for stopping to talk.

"So, your motive reveals itself." She rolled her eyes and started up the hallway. "Not interested."

Adam fell into step with her. "Just hear me out, ok? He's been miserable since you stopped talking and even worse since that kiss."

Jordan whirled around and glared at him. "He told you? How dare he? Is nothing sacred?"

Adam held his hands up in surrender. "Only me, and only because I saw you push him into that classroom and I wanted to know if you had forgiven him." He lowered his hands. "He really cares about you, Jordan."

"So did you and look how that ended." Jordan's voice got sad.

"That wasn't because of us, that was because of Chad and you know it." Adam was exasperated. "And anyway, you and Portman aren't you and I. Things will work out differently between the two of you." Adam smiled. "He loves you, Jordie."

She wrinkled her nose. "I told you never to call me that!" Her face softened. "Does he really?" She looked straight into Adam's eyes, uncertain of the truth.

"You can't tell? The man hasn't eaten in three days. He's not performing like he should be at practice. He's not even talking to Fulton."

Jordan's eyes got wide. "Wow, this is serious." She shook her head. "I don't know. He's so jealous, I don't know if I can deal with it."

"He's not as bad as some people." Adam was talking about himself. He would have loved to have killed her football friends five minutes ago, but it wasn't his place. "Doesn't he deserve a real chance? One without your ex-boyfriend trying to sabotage him?"

Jordan smiled at him. "Maybe. As long as it doesn't come between me and my best friend." She looked pointedly at Adam.

"Best friend? I thought that was Chad?" He was surprised. She'd been mad at him for a long time. And now, she wanted to be friends again. It wasn't love, but it was better than nothing.

"Chad's a great big brother, but he's just not best friend material. However, if you can get over your jealous streak, I think we could be bffs." She giggled at the childish abbreviation.

"I thought you were still mad at me?" Adam was still trying to wrap his mind around being back in Jordan's life.

"I think you've just proven that you've learned something from the ordeal. And in that case, I will be happy to be friends again." She took a step closer to him. "Ok?"

Adam smiled. "Yeah, friends would be great." He stuck out his hand.

Jordan pushed it aside. "We've known each other so long, I think we can do better than that." She leaned over and hugged him.

Adam held onto her tightly, squeezing before he let her go. "That didn't take too long to get over."

Jordan laughed and hit him playfully on the arm. "You caught me in a good mood. What can I say? You're lucky." Her smile got bigger. "Speaking of lucky, my cousin Diana is coming to the game Friday. You know, the really cute blonde one? She said something about wanting to see you again."

Adam vaguely remembered a small blonde girl who used to follow around Jordan when they were younger. "The one who's like a year younger than me?"

Jordan nodded and reached into her back pocket. "I have a recent picture." She handed it to him.

The girl was cute with deep brown eyes and a huge inviting smile. Her blonde hair was in loose curls that framed her face. Adam raised an eyebrow in approval. "Can I meet her?"

Jordan took back the picture. "As long as you won't try anything sinister, than yes."

"I don't make promises I can't keep," he joked.

They laughed for a minute and then looked at each other. The bell rang.

"Well," Jordan said.

"Well." Adam was shifting awkwardly.

"I'll give him another shot, Banksy." She smiled and pointed a finger at him. "But don't tell him. I want him to come to me after the game on Friday. Got it?"

Adam gave her a thumbs up. "You got it." He looked straight into her eyes. "I'm glad this all worked out, Jordan."

"Yeah, me too." She looked over her shoulder toward her class. "I should get going. See you at the game Friday. Dress to impress!" Then she waved and took off.

**So, then** I kept trying to convince Portman to go talk to her at the game Friday. I think he's almost there. I'll meet Diana and see what develops. Maybe having Jordan as a friend will be a good thing after all…


	22. Portman's Last Chance

Chapter 22: Portman's Last Chance

So Banksy has me convinced I need to talk to Jordan after the game tonight. I don't even know why I'm trying. She's made it pretty clear she wants nothing to do with me. I mean, she's talking to me now at least. She says hi and stuff. But no moves to try again. It's a little upsetting. But Banksy did just talk to her the other day. And if he says I want to talk to her after the game, then I probably should do it.

**It was** the fourth quarter, two minutes left. Eden Hall was down by a touchdown. Portman was extremely nervous. Blake had the ball, twenty yards to go, third down, and Jordan was pacing on the sideline. He hoped the defense could hold them off.

He heard the cheerleaders vaguely to his right and tried to block out their noise. Instead, he was focusing on Jordan's reactions to what was happening with her team. He could see her mouth forming 'come on guys' and 'let's hold them.' She was nervous too.

The defense held them for a fourth down and the punting team came out. Portman crossed his fingers, hoping they would miss. No such luck, the score was now 14-23 with one minute, forty-five seconds left in the game.

The return kick was caught by one of the guys on the team. He returned it for twenty yards, putting them just shy of midfield. Jordan was at her position, ready to take on anything or anyone.

It was agonizing, the way they only moved a few yards at a time. They continued to make first downs. Finally at under a minute, they were within field goal range at the thirty yard line. The quarterback got the snap from the center and scanned the field. He found Jordan, feet from the goal and heading there fast. He released and they connected. Touchdown, Eden Hall! The extra point was no good, but they were only down by a field goal now.

Portman cheered loudly and let a "That's my girl!" slip out of his mouth. Banksy, who was standing next to him smiled and continued rooting Jordan on. He was standing with Jordan's cousin, Diana, who he used to know as a kid. She was pretty cute, but she was no Jordan. And they seemed to be hitting it off pretty well. Portman was happy for him.

Blake was returning a kick. They didn't get far. It was so close to the end, Portman could taste it. Only twenty more seconds and they would lose the game. He looked for her on the sidelines, but she wasn't there. His eyes shot to the field. There was her number, among the defense.

"What the hell?" he whispered. He watched in confused silence as the quarterback for Blake drew his arm back…threw the ball…and it was caught by Jordan. She took off down the field, catching the entire Blake team by surprise.

"Go, Go!!!" Portman was running along the fence around the field right in step with her. She was so close… "YES!"

The score was now 26-23 and Jordan had scored the touchdown that saved the game! There was only three seconds left on the clock. Eden Hall had won the state championship!!

They attempted the extra point, which went nowhere and did the return kick. A defensiveman knocked the runner out after a fifteen yard return and all the students, alumni, and family of Eden Hall rushed the field. Portman was amongst them. He searched, pushing through the throngs of people, hoping to see her.

He finally found her, in the middle of the team, a huge smile on her face. She was the star and would most likely become MVP. She had gone from some crazy girl who had wanted to play football to the school's hero in only a few short weeks. He couldn't have been prouder.

"Jordan!" He cupped his hands around his mouth.

She looked around and saw him standing there. She rushed over to him and jumped into his arms. "We did it!" She kissed him hard on the lips and pulled back to smile at him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, watching him.

Portman stood there in shock, but was smart enough to at least support her weight. Otherwise they would have toppled over and hit whoever was behind them. After a few minutes of thinking and rethinking what had just happened, he smiled at her. "Does this mean…"

"If you have to ask then I'll just say no." She stuck out her tongue and went to get down.

Portman grasped her firmly. "Well, in that case…" He kissed her again, happy that at last he got to hold her. Finally, he put her down and grabbed her hand. He managed to pull her out of the group and over to the sidelines. He smiled over at Banksy, but he was busy doing a little celebrating of his own: Diana had him in a major liplock.

Jordan scoffed. "Geez, get a room." She looked back at Portman. "Can you believe it? My cousin and my best friend making a scene. The nerve."

Portman laughed and pulled her close. "Aw, do you wanna make one too?"

She laughed. "Not right this second, no." She lowered her voice. "But maybe later."

Portman raised his eyebrows. "Really?" His smile widened. "So, why'd you wait so long to tell me we were getting together? I was being tortured the last week."

"You deserved it and you know it. Besides, can you imagine a more perfect moment to ask me to be your girlfriend than after I won the state finals?" She put her hands on her hips, looking adorable in her pads and jersey.

He shook his head. "Not at all." He pulled off his class ring. "Jordan, will you do me the honor of going steady with me?"

"Aw, how corny and old-fashioned." She smiled at his face. "I'm kidding. You know I will, you big numbskull." She slid the ring on her finger. "Now kiss me." She pulled him to her and they kissed for what seemed like ages.

When they pulled apart, Portman looked around. "Hey, where's Chad?"

Jordan's smile vanished slightly. "He couldn't come. He had to stay in the hospital overnight."

Portman's face melted into one of concern. "What's wrong?"

Jordan shrugged. "Nothing, really. He just needed to go in for a check-up and some therapy. He's been skipping out on it, so Mom punished him by not letting him come." She smiled. "Don't worry, though, I got someone to video it for him. He'll watch it tomorrow."

Portman returned her smile. "Now I'm scared to meet your mom. She sounds like a tough lady."

Jordan shrugged. "It happens. You'll deal."

They laughed and walked off the field, over to Banksy and her cousin. They broke apart from their kissing to look at the two people walking toward them.

"Aren't you going back to your adoring fans?" Banksy said, in somewhat of a daze.

"Nah," Jordan replied. "It can wait until Monday. Let's get out of here."

**So, I got** my girl back. And Banksy's out of the picture because he's with someone. Life couldn't be better…Oh, wait it is! I don't have to write this stupid assignment anymore! That is awesome! Later!

A/N: The End! Hope you all enjoyed it! I'm hoping to finish some other stories soon, so keep checking back! Much love! XO ~Nelli~


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